HS-4083-C03-1351_Rev_1_5.56mm_Dim_Tracer_Performance_Specification.pdf

HS/4083/C03/1351 Rev. 1

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CARTRIDGE, CALIBER 5.56MM, DIM TRACER,

MK 301 MOD 0

CRANE DIVISION, NAVAL SURFACE WARFARE CENTER

SPECIAL WARFARE & EXPEDITIONARY SYSTEMS DEPARTMENT (CODE JX)

SMALL ARMS WEAPONS SYSTEMS DIVISION (CODE JXN)

AMMUNITION SYSTEMS ENGINEERING BRANCH (CODE JXNN)

NSWC Crane Approval Signature Code Date

Prepared By:

Sung Y. Kim, ~Y· ~ JXNN 2/$/.).o!J Project Engineer

Reviewed By:

~!~J Charles Buxton, ~~2 JXNN Branch Head cY

Approved By:

~:5.!?--Dane Speer, JXN 1-/t"'/t 5 Division Manager

DISTRIBUTION STATEMENT D. Distribution authorized to Department of defense and U.S. DoD contractors only to safeguard critical technology as determined 10 February 2013. Other requests for this document shall be referred to Commander, Crane Division, Naval Surface Warfare Center, Code JXNN, Crane, IN 47522-5001.

HYBRID SPECIFICATION

CARTRIDGE, CALIBER 5.56MM, DIM TRACER,

MK 301 MOD 0

1. SCOPE

This specification establishes the product and performance requirements for the Cartridge, Caliber 5.56mm, Dim Tracer, MK 301 MOD 0. This ammunition shall be referred to herein as the MK 301 MOD 0 cartridge.

2. APPLICABLE DOCUMENTS

2.1 Government Documents. The following documents of the latest issues shown form a part of the specification to the extent specified herein. In the event of a conflict between this specification and other documents referenced herein, requirements of this specification shall apply.

SPECIFICATIONS

MILITARY

MIL-L-63460 Lubricant, Cleaner and Preservative for Weapons and Weapons Systems

STANDARDS

MILITARY

MIL-STD-636 Visual Inspection Standards for Small Arms Ammunition Through Caliber .50

MIL-STD-644 Visual Inspection Standards and Inspection Standards for Inspection of Packaging, Packing and Marking of Small Arms Ammunition

MIL-STD-1168 Ammunition Lot Numbering Arms Ammunition Through Caliber .50

MIL-STD-1916 DoD Preferred Methods for Acceptance of Product

DEPARTMENT OF DEFENSE

DOD-STD-2101 Classification of Characteristics

UNITED STATES

FED-STD-595 Colors Used in Government Procurements

DRAWINGS

NSWC, CRANE

12255-408JXN00518 Cartridge, 5.56mm Dim Tracer, MK 301 12255-408JXN00529 Primer, Cartridge, 5.56mm Dim Tracer, MK 301

12255-408JXN00542 Case, Cartridge, 5.56mm Dim Tracer, MK 301

U.S. ARMY ARMAMENT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COMMAND

19200-7643674 Classification of Cartridge Case Defects 19200-9349660 Filler, Point 19200-9357840 Jacket, Pointed with Filler, Point 19200-9378276 Case 19200-10534279 Primer No. 41 19200-12990884 Paint, Acrylic Waterbased, for Bullet

Tip Identification

PUBLICATIONS

U.S. ARMY ARMAMENT RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT COMMAND

SCATP-5.56mm (Heavy Bullet) Small Caliber Ammunition Test Procedures, 5.56mm (Heavy Bullet) Cartridges

TOP 1-2-608 Test Operations Procedure

“Sound Level Measurement”

TOP 2-2-614 Test Operations Procedure “Toxic Hazards Test for

Vehicles and Other Equipment”

(Unless otherwise indicated, copies of the above specifications, standards, and publications are available from the Standardization Document Order Desk, 700 Robbins Avenue, Building 4D, Philadelphia PA 19111-5094.)

2.2 Non-Government documents. The following documents form a

part of this document to the extent specified herein.

Unless otherwise specified, the issues of the documents that are DOD adopted are those listed in the issue of the DODISS cited in the solicitation. Unless otherwise specified, the issues of the documents not listed in the DODISS are the issues of the documents cited in the solicitation.

ANSI/ASQC A8402-1994 Quality Management and Quality Assurance - Vocabulary

ASTM B19-01 Cartridge Brass Sheet, Strip, Plate, Bar, and Disks (Blanks)

ANSI/ASQ Z1.4-2008 Sampling Procedures and Tables for Inspection by Attribute

(Copies of industry and technical society publications required by suppliers in connection with specific procurement functions should be obtained directly from the source.)

2.3 Order of precedence. In the event of a conflict between the contract, the text of this document and the references cited herein, the contract takes precedence, followed by the text of this document, then the documents referenced herein. Nothing in this document, however, supersedes applicable laws and regulations unless a specific exemption has been obtained.

3. REQUIREMENTS

3.1 Item Definition. The Mk 301 Mod 0 cartridge shall comply

with all requirements specified on drawing 12255-408JXN00518, all associated drawings and with all requirements specified in applicable specifications and standards. The cartridge is intended to be used in rifles and machine guns chambered for this caliber without modifications.

3.2 Classification of Characteristics. DOD-STD-2101 shall be

used for classification of characteristics. Where critical or major characteristic requirements are listed in this specification, they are annotated by a "C" or "M" and sequential reference number starting with "1" for critical and "101" for major. The letter and number are contained in parentheses. The main statement of the requirement is then surrounded by brackets, "[ ]". Minor characteristic requirements contain no annotation.

3.2.1 Critical Characteristic. One that analysis indicates is likely, if defective, to create or increase a hazard to human safety or to result in failure of a weapon system or major system to perform a required mission.

3.2.2 Major Characteristic. One that analysis indicates is not critical but is likely, if defective, to result in failure of an end item to perform a required mission.

3.2.3 Minor Characteristic. One that analysis indicates is

significant to product quality but is not likely, if defective, to impair the mission performance of the item.

3.3 Components.

3.3.1 Projectile.

3.3.1.1 The jacket and point filler shall meet the dimensional requirements of drawing 19200-9357840 and 19200-9349660.

3.3.1.2 The projectile shall have a bullet tip identification paint. The paint shall be lavender no. 37142 of FED-STD-595, per drawing 19200-12990884. The paint shall cover approximately 0.25 inches at the tip of the bullet.

3.3.2 Cartridge Case. The cartridge case shall be a military

5.56mm copper alloy case manufactured in accordance with drawing 12255-408JXN00542 or Army drawing 19200-9378276. (C1) [A vent hole shall be present in the primer pocket of the cartridge case.]

3.3.2.1 Headstamp. The cartridge case head stamp marking shall consist of the Identification Code of the Manufacturer and last 2 digits of year of manufacture.

3.3.2.2 Residual Stress. The cartridge case shall not split

when subjected to a one percent mercurous nitrate solution for 15 minutes.

3.3.3 Primer. The primer shall be a commercial primer RUAG 4134 primer manufactured in accordance with drawing 12255-408JXN00529, No. 41 primer manufactured in accordance with Army drawing 19200- 10534279 or commercial equivalent. If No. 41 primer or commercial equivalent primer are used, manufacturer shall be responsible for Final Type Qualification.

3.3.3.1 Primed Case Sensitivity. The average critical height

(H) plus three standard deviations (3 sigma) shall be 12.0 inches maximum and the average critical height minus three standard deviations (3 sigma) shall be 3.0 inches minimum.

3.3.4 Propellant. Each cartridge shall contain smokeless

propellant. Nominal charge weight shall be established by the manufacturer to meet performance requirements.

3.4 Complete Cartridge.

3.4.1 Primer Seating Depth. (M101) The primer shall be seated flush to 0.008 inch below flush of the face of the cartridge case head.

3.4.2 Cartridge Overall Length. (M102) The overall length of

the assembled cartridge shall be 2.260 inches maximum, 2.235 inches minimum.

3.4.3 Bullet Extraction. The force required to extract the

projectile from the cartridge case shall not be less than 45 pounds.

3.4.4 Waterproof. The cartridges shall not release more than

one bubble of air when subjected to a differential pressure of

7.5 pounds per square inch (psi) for 30 seconds.

3.5 Cartridge Ballistics Performance.

3.5.1 Chamber Pressure.

3.5.1.1 The average chamber pressure of the sample cartridges, conditioned at 70 + 2F, shall not exceed 58,700 psi. Neither the chamber pressure of an individual sample test cartridge nor the average chamber pressure plus three standard deviations of chamber pressure shall exceed 64,700 psi.

3.5.1.2 When conditioned and fired at 125 2F and -65 2F, the average chamber pressure shall not vary from the average chamber pressure of the sample test cartridges conditioned at 70 + 2F by more than 7,000 psi. The average chamber pressure of the sample cartridges of the same lot conditioned at 125 + 2F shall not exceed 63,700 psi. Any decrease in pressure is acceptable.

3.5.2 Port Pressure.

3.5.2.1 The mean port pressure minus three standard deviations shall not be less than 15,300 psi for sample cartridges conditioned at 70 + 2F.

3.5.2.2 When conditioned and fired at 125 2F and -65 2F, the average port pressure shall not vary by more than 1,500 psi from the average port pressure of the sample test cartridges of the same lot conditioned at 70 + 2F, and shall not be less than 14,000 psi.

3.5.3 Velocity.

3.5.3.1 The average velocity of the cartridges, conditioned at 70 + 2F, shall be 3,010 + 40 feet per second (fps) at 78 feet from the muzzle of the weapon. The standard deviation of the velocities shall not exceed 40 fps.

3.5.3.2 When conditioned and fired at 125 2F and -65 2F, the average velocity shall not decrease by more than 250 fps with respect to the average velocity of the sample cartridges conditioned at 70 + 2F. Any increase in velocity is acceptable.

3.5.4 Action Time. The mean action time plus five standard

deviations shall not exceed 3 milliseconds. Action time is defined as the sum of the primer ignition time, propellant burning time, and the time taken by the bullet to reach the gas port.

3.5.5 Accuracy. Both the average vertical standard deviation

and the average horizontal standard deviation shall be no greater than 10.3 inches at 600 yards.

3.5.6 Function and Casualty. The 5.56mm dim tracer ammunition shall function without casualty in the M16A2 rifle, M4A1 carbine and MK46 machine gun (or M249 machine gun).

3.5.7 Trace.

3.5.7.1 Ninety percent of the cartridges fired during the trace test shall meet the below requirements:

When viewed at night from the shooters position with the aid of a night vision device, the bullet of the tracer cartridge shall exhibit a satisfactory trace (as defined in appendix A) from the muzzle of the weapon to a point not less than 985 yards from the muzzle. When viewed at night from 20 yards to one side of the shooter, the trace shall be invisible when viewed with the naked eye.

3.5.7.2 When viewed at night from the shooters position, The

trace shall be at a very low level of luminosity and preferably invisible when viewed with the naked eye.

3.5.8 Bullet Integrity. The bullet of the cartridges shall not burst either in its passage through the barrel nor in flight;

neither shall the jacket of the bullet nor any part thereof strip from the other bullet components when the cartridge is fired.

3.5.9 Trajectory Match. The trajectory of the MK 301 projectile shall match within ±1 mil of the M855 ball cartridge at a range out to 875 yards from the muzzle.

3.5.10 Cartridge Noise Level. When the cartridge is functioned, the impulse noise limit and steady state noise limit for the operator shall be not greater than 164 decibels. The duration shall not be greater than 20 milliseconds for each single fire during impulse noise testing.

3.5.11 Toxic Fumes. The toxic fumes of the MK 301 shall be no greater than the limits obtained from the following Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) chemicals expelled from the M855 cartridge.

Chemical Name Chemical formula Carbon Monoxide CO Carbon Dioxide CO2 Ammonia NH3 Sulfur Dioxide SO2 Nitrogen Monoxide NO Nitrogen Dioxide NO2 Hydrogen Chloride HCl Lead (fumes/particulates) Pb

3.6 Workmanship. Metallic components and the completed

cartridge shall be free from folds, wrinkles, deep draw scratches, scaly metal, dents, burrs and other defects. All components and the completed cartridge shall be free of foreign material including, but not limited to, corrosion, stains, dirt, oil, grease, smears of lacquer and metal chips. The cartridge and components shall meet the visual standards requirements of MIL-STD-636 (NATO Caliber 7.62mm). Classification of individual visual and workmanship characteristics shall be as defined by

MIL-STD-636.

3.6.4 Mixed Ammunition Types. For mixed ammunition types, the occurrence of a high pressure test, dummy or blank cartridge shall be classed as a critical defect. Occurrence of any other type shall be classed as a major defect.

3.7 Lot Formation. Each inspection lot of cartridges shall be submitted in accordance with ANSI/ASQC Z1.4-2008. Lot size shall be 50,000 cartridges minimum and 500,000 cartridges maximum.

Each lot shall be assigned a lot number in accordance with MIL-STD-1168. Only one type and weight of propellant shall be used in a lot of cartridges. Each lot shall contain no more than one lot of primers and one lot of propellant. Individual components manufactured by more than one contractor shall not be used in a lot of cartridges.

3.8 Primer Lots. The size of any lot of primers used in the

cartridges shall be 50,000 units minimum and 1,000,000 units maximum. A primer lot shall consist of a specific product, made on consecutive work shifts, with no break in the production of that specific product.

4. VERIFICATION.

4.1 Responsibility for inspection. Unless otherwise specified herein, in the contract or in the purchase order, the supplier is responsible for the performance of all inspection and test requirements as specified herein. Except as otherwise specified, the supplier may utilize his own facilities or any commercial facility acceptable to the Government. The Government reserves the right to perform any of the inspections and tests set forth in this specification where such inspections and tests are deemed necessary to ensure that supplies and services conform to prescribed requirements. Unless otherwise specified herein, in the contract or in the purchase order, all test and inspection equipment (including test barrels and test weapons) shall be supplied and maintained by the contractor.

4.2 Responsibility for Compliance. All items shall meet all

requirements of this specification. The inspections set forth in this specification shall become a part of the contractor's overall inspection system or quality program. The absence of any inspection requirements in the specification shall not relieve the contractor of the responsibility of ensuring that all products or supplies submitted to the Government for acceptance comply with all requirements of the contract. Sampling inspection, as part of manufacturing operations, is an acceptable practice to ascertain conformance to requirements, however, this does not authorize submission of known defective material, either indicated or actual, nor does it commit the Government to accept defective material.

4.3 Quality Assurance Terms and Definitions. Reference shall be made to ANSI/ASQC A8402-1994 for definitions of quality assurance terms.

4.4 Non-Destructive Inspection Provisions. Unless otherwise

specified herein, the contract or purchase order, MIL-STD-1916 sampling shall be used for nondestructive acceptance inspection.

Inspection shall be by characteristic. Acceptances criteria shall be accept on zero defects and reject on one or more defects for all inspection levels. 100% inspection shall be used for all critical characteristics. Unless otherwise specified, Verification Level IV shall be used for major characteristics and Verification Level II for minor characteristics. Section 3.0 requirements that are not annotated as critical or major shall be classified as minor. Classification of characteristics shall be defined in accordance with DOD-STD-2101.

4.4.1 Workmanship. Cartridges and components shall be visually inspected to determine compliance with the requirements of paragraph 3.6.

4.4.2 Dimension and Weight Requirements. All dimensional and

weight requirements in section 3 shall be verified by contractor gages or by standard measuring instruments.

4.4.3 Automatic/Visual Inspection. The contractor shall verify presence of primer pocket vent hole (paragraph 3.3.2), presence of cartridge case head stamp marking (paragraph 3.3.2.1), presence of identification paint(paragraph 3.3.1.2) and presence of propellant charge (paragraph 3.3.4) by visual inspection or by automated equipments.

4.4.4 Packaging, packing, palletizing and marking. During or

immediately prior to the packaging operation, 100% examination of the cartridges shall be performed to ascertain that the cartridge conforms to the requirements of 3.6. All non-conforming cartridges shall be rejected. Inspection of packaging, packing, palletizing and marking shall be in accordance with MIL-STD-644 and section 5 of this specification.

4.4.5 Certifications. The contractor shall maintain

certificates and test results showing compliance with all material and lot formation requirements of section 3.

Certifications and test results shall be made available upon request for each production lot.

4.5 Test Provisions. Unless otherwise specified, each lot of

components and each lot of cartridges shall be tested in accordance with paragraph 4.5.1, paragraph 4.5.2, related subparagraphs, and tables II and III as applicable. Unless otherwise specified, all testing shall be conducted with samples conditioned at 70°±2°F for a minimum of two hours. Cartridges shall be randomly selected in such a manner that the sample is representative of the lot. The cartridges shall be thoroughly mixed before being divided into sample groups for each test. If an equipment/weapon failure occurs which prevents the obtaining of a reliable test result, then the equipment/weapon shall be replaced or repaired; the individual test cartridge result shall be disregarded and another sample cartridge shall be fired for record. If the equipment/weapon failure prevented the obtaining of reliable results for the entire test series, then the entire test result shall be disregarded and a complete sample shall be fired for record. If a firing defect occurs which is not attributable to the test conditions, and which prevents obtaining a reliable result for the test, an additional cartridge shall be fired in its place; the test shall not be penalized, but the defect shall be counted in the cumulative ballistics sample for Table III.

4.5.1 Subassembly/Cartridge Tests. Each lot of cartridges shall be subjected to following tests in accordance with Table II.

4.5.1.1 Residual Stress. The test shall be conducted in

accordance with Small Caliber Ammunition Test Procedures (SCATP), 5.56mm (Heavy Bullet) Cartridges.

4.5.1.2 Primed Case Sensitivity. The complete sensitivity

rundown test shall be conducted in accordance with SCATP-5.56mm (Heavy Bullet) using empty primed cases. The test shall be conducted on each lot of primers with fifty (50) primed cases being tested at each one-inch increment of height between 0 percent and 100 percent firing.

4.5.1.3 Bullet Extraction. The test be conducted using an

approved bullet extraction machine in accordance with SCATP- 5.56mm (Heavy Bullet) Cartridges. The rate of travel of the test head shall be not less than three nor more than six inches per minute.

4.5.1.4 Waterproof. The test shall be conducted in accordance with SCATP-5.56mm (Heavy Bullet) Cartridges. The container shall be evacuated to a pressure of 7.5 pounds per square inch (15 inches of mercury) below atmospheric pressure, and held at that pressure for 30 second.

4.5.2 Cartridge Ballistic Tests. Each lot of cartridges shall be subjected to ballistics tests in accordance with Table II.

The contractor shall obtain the 5.56mm NATO reference cartridges for calibration of acceptance test equipment, for verification of calibration, and for applying correction factors to test results during Lot Acceptance testing. Also, the contractor shall be responsible for furnishing secondary reference cartridges needed for in-process and in-house testing. Specified barrel length of test weapons shall be determined by measuring from the breech face of the test weapon to the end of the muzzle.

4.5.2.1 Chamber Pressure. The chamber pressure test shall be

conducted in accordance with SCATP-5.56mm (Heavy Bullet) Cartridges, EPVAT (Electronic Pressure, Velocity, and Action Time) test method.

4.5.2.2 Port Pressure. The port pressure test shall be

conducted in accordance with SCATP-5.56mm (Heavy Bullet)

Cartridges, EPVAT (Electronic Pressure, Velocity, and Action Time) test method.

4.5.2.3 Velocity. The velocity test shall be conducted in

accordance with SCATP-5.56mm (Heavy Bullet) Cartridges, EPVAT (Electronic Pressure, Velocity, and Action Time) test method.

4.5.2.4 Action Time. The action time test shall be conducted in accordance with SCATP-5.56mm (Heavy Bullet) Cartridges, EPVAT (Electronic Pressure, Velocity, and Action Time) test method.

4.5.2.5 Accuracy. The accuracy test shall be conducted in

accordance with SCATP-5.56mm (Heavy Bullet) Cartridges.

4.5.2.6 Function and Casualty. The function and casualty test shall be conducted in accordance with SCATP-5.56mm (Heavy Bullet) Cartridges. The table below shows the number of rounds to be fired at each temperature range.

Table I. Function and Casualty Test Matrix

Test Weapon Firing Mode Temperature Range

70°±2°F -65°±2°F 125°±2°F

M16A2 #1 Single shot 100 50 50

M16A2 #1 3 round Burst 100 50 50

M16A2 #2 Single shot 100 50 50

M16A2 #2 3 round Burst 100 50 50

M4A1 #1 Single Shot 100 50 50

M4A1 #1 3 round Burst 100 50 50

M4A1 #2 Single Shot 100 50 50

M4A1 #2 3 round Burst 100 50 50

MK46/M249 #1 3-5 rd. Burst 200 100 100

MK46/M249 #2 3-5 rd. Burst 200 100 100

4.5.2.7 Trace. The trace test shall be conducted in accordance with Appendix A.

4.5.2.8 Bullet Integrity. The test shall be conducted in

accordance with SCATP-5.56mm (Heavy Bullet) Cartridges and simultaneously during Function and Casualty testing.

Table II. Lot Verification Test

Test Quantity for each Temperature Range

Acc/Rej Criteria

Paragraph References ambient 70°±2°F -65°±2°F 125°±2°F Acc Rej Requirement Verification Residual Stress, 1st sample 50 0 2 3.3.2.2 4.5.1.1 2nd sample (cumulative) 150 1 2 3.3.2.2 4.5.1.1 Primed Case Sensitivity 1/ 1/ 3.3.3.1 4.5.1.2 Bullet Extraction, 1st sample 25 0 3 3.4.3 4.5.1.3 2nd sample (cumulative) 75 2 3 3.4.3 4.5.1.3 Waterproof, 1st sample 50 3 10 3.4.4 4.5.1.4 2nd sample (cumulative) 150 9 10 3.4.4 4.5.1.4 Chamber pressure 20 20 20 2/ 3.5.1 4.5.2.1 Port Pressure 20 20 20 2/ 3.5.2 4.5.2.2 Velocity 20 20 20 2/ 3.5.3 4.5.2.3 Action Time 20 20 20 2/ 3.5.4 4.5.2.4 Accuracy 60 3/ 3.5.5 4.5.2.5 Function and Casualty 4/ 3.5.6 4.5.2.6 M16A2 400 200 200 4/ 3.5.6 4.5.2.6 M4A1 400 200 200 4/ 3.5.6 4.5.2.6 Mk46 (or M249) 400 200 200 4/ 3.5.6 4.5.2.6 Trace 50 50 7/ 50 7/ 5/ 3.5.7 4.5.2.7 Bullet Integrity 300 6/ 3.5.8 4.5.2.8 Trajectory Match 30 5/ 3.5.9 4.5.2.9 Cartridge Noise Level 45 8/ 3.5.10 4.5.2.10 Toxic Fumes 5 8/ 3.5.11 4.5.2.11 Note:

1/ Fifty primed cases are tested at each height. Failure of the cartridges to comply with the requirements shall be cause for rejection of the lot subject to testing of a second test, which shall be run consisting of 100 primed cases at each height. The lot shall be rejected if the cartridges in the second test fail to comply with the requirements.

2/ Failure of the cartridges in any sample to comply with the applicable requirements shall be cause for rejection of the lot subject to testing of a second sample consisting of double the quantity of cartridges used in the first test for the temperature of temperatures at which the failure occurred.

The lot shall be rejected if the cartridges in the second sample fail to comply with the applicable requirements. Action time, chamber pressure and port pressure and velocity tests shall be conducted simultaneously.

3/ A 30-round target shall be fired from each of two test barrels. A retest is permitted whereby the results of the first test are excluded and two 30-round targets are fired from each of two test barrels, averaged and checked for compliance with the requirements. Only one target miss is permitted out of all "Valid Targets" as defined in Small Caliber Ammunition Test Procedures, 5.56mm (Heavy Bullet) Cartridges.

4/ The acceptance and retest numbers of TABLE III shall be applied to the M16A2 results (all temperature combined), M4A1 results (all temperature combined) and MK46 results (all temperature combined) individually except where noted to combine them. All function and casualty defects observed in other ballistic tests shall be included in all the M16A2, M4A1 and MK46 defect counts in the evaluation. When weapon type or types fails the test and a retest is permitted by Table III, the entire function and casualty test shall be repeated with sample sizes doubled. The cumulative (1st and 2nd test combined) defect count shall be evaluated against the cumulative acceptance criteria of Table III for M16A2, M4A1 and MK46 individually.

5/ Failure of the cartridges to comply with the requirements shall be cause for rejection of the lot subject to testing of a second sample consisting of double the quantity of cartridges used in the first test. The lot shall be rejected if the cartridges in the second test fail to comply with the requirements.

6/ The test shall be conducted simultaneously with function and casualty test. The 300 round sample shall be composed of the following:

a. Sixty rounds from the M16A2 Function and Casualty test: 3 round burst mode

b. Forty rounds form the M16A2 Function and Casualty test: Single Shot mode

c. Sixty rounds from the M16A2 Function and Casualty test: 3 round burst mode

d. Forty rounds form the M16A2 Function and Casualty test: Single Shot mode

e. One hundred rounds from the MK46 (or M249) Function and Casualty test.

Failure of four or more bullets (from the total sample) to comply with the applicable requirements shall be cause for rejection of the lot. If more than one but less than four bullets fail in the first test, a second sample of 300 cartridges shall be tested in different M16A2, M4A1 and MK46 (or M249) weapons than were used in the first test. The lot shall be rejected if in the combined first and second sample, four or more bullets rail to comply with the applicable requirements.

7/ This test shall be performed for informational purpose only.

8/ Shall be conducted during the first two lot acceptance tests as long as the energetics remain unchanged. If the energetics change, the test shall be conducted during the first two subsequent lot acceptance tests. Failure of the cartridges to comply with the requirements shall be cause for rejection of the lot.

Table III. Function and Casualty Firing Defects Criteria

Defect 6/ First Sample Cumulative

Acceptance Number

Classification Accept Reject

1. Misfire 1/

a. No vent hole 2/ 0 1 - Major

b. Obstruction in vent hole 2/ 0 1 - Major

c. Light primer strike 7/ 1 3 2 Major

c. Other 1 3 2 Major

2. Bullet in bore 2/ 0 1 - Critical

3. Primer Defects:

a. Perforation of primer cup caused by firing pin

(1) MK46/M249 Machine Gun 22 28 3/ 40 Major

(2) M16A2 Rifle 0 3/ 1 Major

(3) M4 Carbine 0 3/ 1 Major

b. Perforation of primer cup not caused by firing pin

1 3 2 Major

c. Escape of gas around the primer cup

(1) Total number of leakers

M16A2 Rifle 8 16 22 Major MK46/M249 Machine Gun 13 35 67 Major M4 Carbine 8 16 22 Major

(2) Number of leakers that cover 50% or more of the periphery

M16A2 Rifle 3 7 9 Major MK46/M249 Machine Gun 3 7 9 Major M4 Carbine 3 7 9 Major

d. Blown primer (Primer separates from case head and primer pocket is grossly distorted). 2/

0 1 - Major

e. Dropped primer (Primer falls out of pocket) 0 2 1 Major

f. Loose primer (Primer remains in pocket, but is physically loose)

0 2 1 Major

4. Case Casualties:

a. Longitudinal split 4/

(1) Neck and shoulder (I or S) 5 9 13 Minor

(2) Body (J) 3 7 9 Major

(3) Body (K) 0 2 1 Major

(4) To head (L) 0 1 - Critical

(5) Through head (M) 0 1 - Critical

b. Circumferential rupture 4/

(1) Partial, shoulder or body (J or

S) 1 3 2 Major

(2) Partial, body (K) 2/ 0 1 - Major

(3) Partial, head (L) 2/ 0 1 - Critical

(4) Complete 2/ 0 1 - Critical

5. Failure to extract 0 2 1 Major

Table III. Function and Casualty Firing Defects Criteria (continued)

Defect 6/ First Sample Cumulative

Acceptance Number

Classification Accept Reject

6. Weapon stoppage 5/ 0 2 1 Major

7. Total defects for M16 Rifle, M4 Carbine, and MK46/M249 Machine Gun combined

46 98 172

NOTES:

1/ Each cartridge that misfires shall be disassembled and examined for presence of vent hole in primer pocket, or any obstruction in the vent hole area of the primer pocket that can be assignable as the cause for misfire. If the vent hole is missing or obstructed, the lot shall be rejected with no second sample permitted.

2/ No second sample permitted. Lot shall be rejected.

3/ If defects in excess of the acceptance number in Table III are noted in the first sample, a second sample consisting of double the quantity of cartridges specified under function and casualty in Table II shall be fired in all weapon types. Prior to the testing of the second sample, the firing pin of the specific weapon in which the defect occurred shall be replaced with a new firing pin. If the cumulative number of defects from both the first and second sample is greater than the cumulative acceptance number in Table III, the lot shall be rejected.

4/ For location of defects indicated by letters in parentheses, see Drawing 7643674.

5/ All stoppages attributable to the ammunition, with the exception of misfire, complete rupture, copper fouling or failure to extract, observed in all tests shall be included.

6/ For any ballistic test except function and casualty, where the occurrence of a firing defect prevents the obtaining of a valid result for the characteristic being tested the following shall apply.

a. The defect shall be observed under the appropriate function and casualty defect category and included in the defect count for determining acceptance or rejection in accordance with Table III.

b. The particular test for which the round was fired shall not be penalized.

c. A replacement round shall be fired to obtain the data for the characteristic being tested.

7/ If a misfire is due to a primer strike indent of .012 inch or less, it shall be classified as a light primer strike misfire. In the event that the reject criteria is met or exceeded for light primer strikes on a single weapon the test setup shall be disqualified for use, a different weapon selected and certified and the testing for the weapon performed again. In the event the reject criteria is met or exceeded during this retest the lot shall fail.

8/ If function and casualty defects occurred in a test barrel, then the defects shall be included in the defect counts of each weapon type.

4.5.2.9 Trajectory match. Cartridges shall be tested in

accordance with the procedures in TOP 4-2-604 and TOP 4-2-827.

The ballistic results shall be analyzed to determine the trajectory match with the M855 round at a range out to 875 yards.

Ten cartridges shall be fired from each of three accuracy test barrels. The accuracy test barrels shall be secured to a V-block recoil mechanism mounted on a Frankford rest. The test barrels shall be fired at a constant elevation between 15 and 20. A Weibel tracker (Doppler radar) shall be positioned adjacent to the mount with the antenna aligned to the line of fire (LOF).

The test barrels shall be fired single shot with the radar illuminating and tracking the rounds for a minimum of 5 seconds.

Testing shall then be repeated using the corresponding service round.

4.5.2.10 Cartridge noise level. TOP 1-2-608 Sound Level

Measurements shall be used as a general guide to conduct this test. Four microphones shall be positioned around the weapon placed at height of 5.2 ft (1.6 m) at the following locations:

a. Approximately at the shooter’s ear position.

b. 5 m to the rear of the muzzle (180° referenced from the LOF).

c. 5 m to the left of the muzzle (270° referenced from the LOF).

d. 5 m to the left rear of the muzzle (225° referenced from the LOF).

For impulse noise testing, five single shots shall be fired with an Mk18 and Mk46/M249 Weapon setup. The test shall be conducted once with Mk301 ammunition and once with M855 standard ammunition for a total of ten rounds.

For steady state noise testing, five 10-round bursts shall be fired with an Mk46 or M249 short barrel weapon setup in a 4:1 configuration (4 M855 ball : 1 Mk301 dim tracer and 4 M855 ball :

1 M856 tracer). Five 5-round bursts shall be fired with an Mk18 weapon setup for each ammunition configuration (M855 ball and Mk301 dim tracer).

3.5.2.11 Toxic fumes. The toxic fumes test shall be conducted in accordance with TOP 2-2-614, paragraph 4.3, Chamber Tests methods. The Mk46/M249 machine gun shall be cleaned and lubricated prior to testing. Cartridges shall be conditioned and fired at ambient temperature. The weapon shall be placed in a test fixture enclosed in a sealed toxic fumes chamber. All firing shall be done remotely. Each type of ammunition shall be fired to obtain five valid trials from the weapon. The test chamber shall be considered clean when toxic fume concentrations have declined to an acceptable level. The test chamber shall be cleaned between cartridge types. Testing shall be compared to M855 standard ammunition using the same test procedures.

5. PACKAGING

5.1 Packaging. For acquisition purposes, the packaging

requirements shall be specified in the contract or delivery order. When actual packaging of material is performed by DoD personnel, these personnel need to contact the responsible packaging activity to ascertain requisite packaging requirements.

Packaging requirements are maintained by the Inventory Control Point's packaging activity within the Military Department or Defense Agency, or within the Military Department's System Command. Packaging data retrieval is available from the managing Military Department's or Defense Agency's automated packaging files, CD-ROM products, or by contacting the responsible packaging activity.

6. NOTES

6.1 Definitions.

a. Misfire: Failure of a cartridge to fire after the initiating impulse has been applied to the primer, normally due to:

(1) The primer fails to fire when struck by the firing pin.

(2) The propellant does not ignite when the primer fires.

b. Hangfire: Any perceptible delay in the functioning of a cartridge after the initiating impulse has been applied to the primer.

c. Blown primer: A blown primer is a primer which, when the cartridge is fired, is separated completely from the head of the cartridge case, and both the head of the case and primer pocket are enlarged and deformed.

d. Perforation in firing pin indent: Cartridge primer cup that has been perforated by the firing pin when the cartridge is fired.

e. Longitudinal split: A longitudinal separation of the metal in the cartridge case wall produced by firing.

f. Circumferential rupture: A circumferential separation of the cartridge case wall produced by firing. A partial rupture is one which extends less than 360 degrees around the case. A complete rupture is one which extends entirely around the case, separating the case into two parts.

g. Premature cartridge function: A premature function of the cartridge prior to intentional initiation of the firing mechanism of the weapon. Such failures usually occur during cycling of the weapon mechanism and prior to complete locking of the weapon's bolt.

h. Loose primer: Independent movement of primer in cartridge case primer pocket or primer falls out of pocket.

Appendix A

A. TRACE TEST PROCEDURES.

A.1 Scope. This appendix details the procedure to determine the relative effectiveness of dim tracer ammunition and disclose the path of bullet flight by firing it under controlled conditions.

The acceptance or rejection is based on the criteria specified herein. This appendix is a mandatory part of the specification.

The information contained herein is intended for compliance.

A.2 Definition of Terms.

A.2.1 "Full Luminosity": Any trace near or at full luminosity as observed by the naked eye, and occurring for at least 100 yards during the length of the trajectory. Such trace is considered unacceptable.

A.2.2 "Satisfactory Trace": The trace of the bullet is visible to the observers using night vision devices.

A.2.3 "Blind Trace": No visible trace using night vision devices, during the entire trajectory.

A.2.4 "Short Trace": Trace did not reach required length, but no other defect.

A.2.5 "Delayed": Trace starts late and traces the required distance.

A.2.6 "Partial": Trace starts late and does not trace the required distance.

A.2.7 "Other": Any other than listed above.

A.3 Equipment. The test weapon shall be a Mk 46 machine gun.

No alterations to the test weapon, beyond the requirements and specifications of the original manufacturer or supplier, shall be permitted. Night vision devices for observers and one video camera equipped with night vision devices shall be used.

A.4 Observation Points.

A.4.1 Four observers shall be used, two using night vision devices and two using the naked eye. One video camera equipped with night vision devices shall be used.

A.4.1.1 One observer using a night vision device and one naked eye observer shall be positioned behind the weapon, so as to adequately observe trace performance from the shooters perspective to include as much of the trajectory from muzzle to 985 yards as possible.

A.4.1.2 One observer using a night vision device and one naked eye observer shall be positioned 20 yards to the side of the weapon so as to adequately observe trace performance to include as much of the trajectory from muzzle to 985 yards as possible.

A.4.1.3 The video camera equipped with night vision devices shall be positioned down range so as to accurately and consistently film the tracer at the 985 yard mark.

A.4.1.4 Observation at the weapon shall be made for any abnormal behavior as an informational check only. Record shall be made of erratic flight, bursting bullets, muzzle flash of obviously greater intensity than that produced by other bullets in the sample, or such other behavior as may be considered abnormal by the observer.

A.5 Test Procedure.

A.5.1 All trace testing shall be performed at night. All lights interfering with night vision device observations shall be turned off.

A.5.2 If visual defects are found in the test cartridges prior to testing, the defective cartridge (s) shall be replaced.

A.5.3 The test weapon shall be thoroughly cleaned prior to the beginning of testing. The test weapons shall be lubricated using Cleaner, Lubricant and Preservative (CLP, MIL-L-63460).

A.5.4 The test weapon shall be assembled in the fixture on the mount. The pier or mount shall be of solid construction.

A.5.5 At least three unrecorded cartridges of the type of ammunition under test shall be fired to sight, warm and foul the weapon prior to each test.

A.5.6 Fifty cartridges shall be fired from the test weapon at each temperature as indicated in table II.

A.5.7 The cartridges shall be fired single-shot in a uniform sequence, with sufficient interval between cartridges to allow the trace of each individual shot to be observed and recorded by each observer.

A.5.8 To prevent the temperature of the weapon from affecting the performance of the cartridges, if any unusual delay in firing occurs after the cartridge is chambered, that cartridge shall be extracted and another test cartridge fired as a replacement.

A.6 Classification of Defects.

A.6.1 The following are considered defects and will count against trace performance:

a. Full Luminosity

b. Blind Trace

c. Short Trace

d. Partial Trace

A.6.2 The following are not considered defects but will be reported during performance testing:

a. Delayed Trace

A.7 Recording of Data.

A.7.1 The trace characteristics of each shot fired are recorded by each observer. After the test is completed the observers shall check their respective observations together shot by shot.

Similar defects reported by each observer shall be recorded as one failure.

A.7.2 The test results are reported as follows:

a. Number of cartridges fired.

b. Satisfactory trace (percentage).

c. Number and type of defects.

d. All function and casualty defects.

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